Shenyang Police Tortured Older Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Meng Yue Before Subjecting Her to Forced Labour Term

Name: Meng Yue
Gender: Female
Age: 50
Address: Shenhe District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 9th, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention: Masanjia Forced Labour Camp
City: Shenyang
Province: Liaoning
Persecution Suffered: Torture, force-feedings, home ransacking, detention

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Meng Yue from Shenyang City was arrested on March 9th. Participating in the arrest were officers from Keji Shangcheng Police Station in the Dongling District of Shenyang City. Ms. Meng was subjected to force-feedings in the detention centre. The police also kept her shackled and put other torture instruments on her while forcing her to remain in a fixed position for eight days. Ms. Meng is currently in the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. She is in extreme pain, and her physical condition is worrying.

On March 9th, Ms. Meng and Ms. Zhu Jinghua were arrested as they were speaking with people about Falun Gong and distributing Shen Yun Performing Arts¹DVDs on Sanhao Street in Shenyang City. Officers from the Keji Shangcheng Police Station in the Dongling District made the arrests. The police also ransacked the homes of the two practitioners that same afternoon and took Falun Gong books, CDs, and computers. The two practitioners were taken to the Shenyang City No. 1 Detention Centre that same evening. Their families were not informed that they had been placed in criminal detention until March 21st. Ms. Meng was given 30 days, and Ms. Zhu, 70 days.

Ms. Meng held a ten-day hunger strike to protest the persecution. The guards tied her up with leather strips so tightly that as they force-fed her, she almost suffocated. The guards also placed her in shackles and other torture instruments, and forced her to remain in a fixed position for eight days. During a physical examination on March 19th, before Ms. Meng was sent to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp to serve a one-year term, she was diagnosed with symptoms of myocardial ischemia and a lack of blood flow to the heart, among other symptoms that disqualified her from a forced labour term. Despite the diagnosis, the police hastily sent her to Masanjia that same evening.

Ms. Zhu Jinghua was released on March 19th after she had been detained for ten days.

Ms. Meng's physical condition has continued to be poor since she was sent to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. She is in constant pain. In particular, her upper body is painfully swollen, which is unbearably painful even when she eats and walks. Another physical examination on March 29th showed that her pain stemmed from the external injuries sustained from the abuse and torture at the detention center.

Li Da, officer from Kejicheng Police Station: +86-24-23893701, +86-24-23920938

Note

1. Shen Yun Performing Arts is a New York based company showing traditional Chinese culture through classical dance and music. Some dance pieces in the show depict the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and how they show their compassion under extreme conditions.